Fundamental Motor Skills Intervention Research Articles

Effects of Eight-week Fundamental Motor Skills Intervention on Children’s Physical and Cognitive Health Outcomes

Globally, 80.3% of school-aged children do not engage in the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; Hallal et al., 2012). Motor skill competence is fundamental to a child’s physical activity and cognitive development (Stodden et al., 2008), and thus may explain the lack of MVPA engagement among children. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the effects of a fundamental motor skills (FMS) intervention program on physical and cognitive health outcomes among elementary children. METHODS: Participants were 31 K-2 students (19 girls, 12 boys; Mage = 6.65) from three public elementary schools in the southwestern U.S. They were randomly assigned to either the intervention (1 school, n = 20) or the control group (2 schools, n = 11). During two separate 8-week periods in 2017 and 2018, children in the intervention group (13 girls, 7 boys) joined the FMS intervention for three times per week (60 minutes each time), while children in the control group (6 girls, 5 boys) followed a traditional afterschool program (e.g., free play). Children’s pre- and post-intervention data were collected using the Test of Gross Motor Development - 2nd edition (TGMD-2; Ulrich et al., 2000), accelerometers (Actical), and a cognitive function questionnaire (PedsQLTM; Varni et al., 2011). To examine the intervention effect, a 2 × 2 repeated measures MANOVA was used, with group as the between-subjects variable and time as the within-subjects variable. RESULTS: The MANOVA showed significant differences between the intervention and the control group over time, F(4,26) = 16.83, p < .001, partial η2 = .72. Follow-up univariate tests for the group × time effect indicated significant differences (p < .05) in locomotor skills (intervention: MT1 = 25.4 vs. MT2 = 37.98, d =8.31; control: MT1 = 29.73 vs. MT2 = 30.32, d = 0.25), object-control skills (intervention: MT1 = 24.68 vs. MT2 = 39.78, d = 7.07; control: MT1 = 27.05 vs. MT2 = 27.59, d =0.19), and MVPA (intervention: MT1 = 143.62 vs. MT2 = 170.06, d = 2.54; control: MT1 = 166.24 vs. MT2 = 155.17, d = 0.79), but not in cognitive function (p > .05). CONCLUSION: The FMS intervention showed significant improvements in FMS and MVPA, compared to a traditional afterschool program. Findings highlight the importance of FMS for motor skill competence and MVPA promotion among school-aged children.

Fundamental Motor Skill Interventions for Children and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: a Literature Review

In addition to the core characteristics of ASD, recent research has demonstrated that children on the autism spectrum develop motor skills differently, often delayed, compared with peers. Motor skill interventions can help improve motor skills, which in turn can increase the likelihood of participating in physical activity (PA) and potential to build social skills. However, research in this area is limited. A search of several prominent databases revealed a total of five empirical studies focused on building gross motor skills for children on the autism spectrum. Although the reviewed studies varied in the delivery and focus of intervention, overall, the reviewed studies suggest a positive effect from any intervention for children on the autism spectrum. Further research in this area is necessary to better understand the most effective means of delivering a motor skill intervention.

Exploring the Relationship Between Fundamental Motor Skill Interventions and Physical Activity Levels in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Physical activity provides many health benefits, yet few children meet the physical activity recommendations. In school-age children, low proficiency in fundamental movement skills (FMS) is associated with low physical activity (PA). It is unknown if the same relationship exists in pre-schoolers (aged 3-5years). The aims of this review were to firstly evaluate interventions for improving FMS and PA levels in children aged 3-5years and 5-12years, and secondly to determine, where possible, if there is a similar relationship between change in FMS and change in PA across both age groups. A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted up until 20 July 2017. Controlled trials that implemented an FMS/PA intervention and measured PA levels (objective/subjective) and FMS (objective) in healthy children between the ages of 3 and 12years were included. Sub-analysis was conducted based on the type of intervention (teacher-led [TL] or teacher educated), sessions per week (< 3 or ≥ 3) and age group. Search terms yielded 17,553 articles, of which 18 met the inclusion criteria. There was significant improvement in FMS with TL interventions of three or more sessions per week (standardised mean difference = 0.23 [0.11-0.36]; p = 0.0002). In TL interventions, there was a strong negative correlation between moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) (r = - 0.969; p = 0.031). There are limited studies measuring both FMS and PA following an FMS intervention, especially in school-aged children. Results indicate that training pre-schoolers at least three times a week in FMS can improve proficiency, increase intensity of PA, and reduce SB, possibly helping to reduce the burden of childhood obesity and its associated health risks.

Study Protocol: The Effect of a Fundamental Motor Skills Intervention in a Preschool Setting on Fundamental Motor Skills and Physical Activity: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are the building blocks to specialist movements that are used throughout one’s life in all forms of physical activity (PA) and sports involvement. FMS are acquired through a combination of active play and structured exercise programs. The preschool years have been identified as the critical time to develop FMS Active children experience health benefits such as decreased systolic blood pressure, depressive symptoms, weight gain, and improved concentration, academic performance and bone mineral density. Links have been identified between FMS proficiency and increased PA levels. This study aims to develop and deliver a structured FMS program for preschool aged children (age 3-5 years) in a childcare setting and determine whether it is associated with a change in PA levels and anthropometric measures. A randomized cluster control design will be employed. PLAYFun is a 12-week, games based FMS program aimed to provide children with the chance to learn, practice and develop their FMS within a preschool setting. Participants will be recruited from 4 childcare centres and will be eligible if they are aged 3-5 years and do not have developmental delay/chronic conditions that inhibit participation in PA. Centres will be randomized using concealed allocation. The control group will continue to receive usual childcare play activities while the intervention group will receive a supervised FMS intervention 2-5 sessions/week for 30 minutes duration in addition to usual childcare activities. Outcome measures will be measured pre-, post and 12-weeks post intervention. Intention to treat analysis will be used and effects on the primary outcomes will be calculated by difference between mean group scores accounting for baseline scores. The authors believe the childcare setting may provide the ideal environment to emphasize the development of movement patterns that will be used throughout life and potentially enhance participation in physical activity.

SKIPing With Head Start Teachers: Influence of T-SKIP on Object-Control Skills

ABSTRACTPurpose: Children from disadvantaged settings are at risk for delays in their object-control (OC) skills. Fundamental motor skill interventions, such as the Successful Kinesthetic Instruction for Preschoolers (SKIP) Program, are highly successful when led by motor development experts. However, few preschools employ such experts. This study examined the extent to which Head Start teachers delivering an 8-week teacher-led SKIP (T-SKIP) intervention elicited learning of OC skills for Head Start children. Method: Head Start teachers (n = 5) delivered T-SKIP for 8 weeks (450 min). Control teachers (n = 5) implemented the typical standard of practice, or well-equipped free play. All children (N = 122) were pretested and posttested on the OC Skill subscale of the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Results: Descriptive analyses at pretest identified 81% of the children were developmentally delayed in OC skills (below the 30th percentile). A 2-level hierarchical linear model demonstrated the effectiveness of T-SKIP with significant differences (β = 4.70), t(8) = 7.02, p < .001, η2 = .56, between T-SKIP children (n = 63) and control children (n = 59) at posttest. Conclusion: Head Start teachers who delivered T-SKIP could bring about positive changes in children’s OC skills, thereby remediating the initial developmental delays presented. Control children remained delayed in their OC skills in spite of daily well-equipped free play, giving rise to concerns about their future motor competence and physical activity levels.

Interventions to improve fundamental motor skills in pre-school aged children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mastery in -fundamental motor skills (FMS) is associated with increased physical activity (PA) in school-aged children; however, there is limited research on pre-schoolers (3-5 years). We aimed to evaluate interventions for improving FMS as well as PA. A search of electronic databases was conducted for controlled trials using PA interventions with FMS as outcomes in healthy pre-schoolers. Standardised mean difference (SMD), 95% confidence intervals and publication bias were calculated for each outcome using Revman 5.3. Twenty trials met inclusion criteria. In total, 4255 pre-schoolers were analysed with 854 completing a FMS intervention. Studies were categorised into three groups (i) Teacher-Led (TL)(n=13); (ii) Child-Centred (CC)(n=6) and (iii) Parent-Led (PL)(n=1). Mean age was 4.3±0.4 years, with equal gender distribution. Interventions ran for 21±17 weeks, 3±1 times per week for 35±17 minutes. TL interventions significantly improved overall FMS (SMD=0.14[0.06, 0.21]; p=0.0003), object control (SMD=0.47[0.15, 0.80]; p= 0.004), and locomotor skills (SMD=0.44[0.16, 0.73]; p=0.002), whereas CC interventions were not significant. There was a small, non-significant reduction in sedentary time (SMD=-0.35[-0.80, 0.10]; p= 0.12), and a large non-significant increase in PA (SMD=0.79[-0.83, 2.41]; p=0.34). PA interventions improve FMS in pre-schoolers; however, due to limited research, more study is needed on CC interventions. Targeting FMS development in pre-schoolers may promote higher PA levels and reduce sedentary time, however more study is needed.

The effectiveness of a community-based fundamental motor skill intervention in children aged 3-8 years: Results of the "Multimove for Kids" project.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 30-week fundamental motor skill program in typically developing young children and to investigate possible sex differences. A multicenter quasi experimental design was set up for this study which involved 992 children aged 3-8 years. All participants received their typical Physical Education curriculum and habitual movement activities. The intervention group (n=523; 53.5% boys) received a weekly 60-min motor skill session provided by trained local instructors in existing child settings; the control group (n=469; 49.7% boys) received no additional practice. Fundamental motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development, 2nd Edition before and after the intervention. To assess the effect of the intervention and possible sex differences, hierarchical linear regressions analyses were conducted for locomotor and object control gain scores. The intervention group demonstrated a higher gain in both locomotor (β=3.78, SE=1.08, p<0.001) and object control (β=4.46, SE=1.06, p<0.001) skills than the control group. Girls demonstrated a lower gain in object control skills (β=-3.50, SE=0.49, p<0.001) and higher gain in locomotor skills (β=1.01, SE=0.44, p=0.022) than boys, regardless of group. The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of a wide-scale community-based intervention in typically developing children. The sex differences reported may indicate the need to use different pedagogical and instructional strategies to enable boys and girls to develop and master a wide range of motor skills.

SKIPing with teachers: an early years motor skill intervention

ABSTRACTBackground: Fundamental motor skill (FMS) interventions when delivered by an expert can significantly improve the FMS of young children with and without developmental delays. However, there is a gap in the literature as few early childhood centers employ experts with the professional background to deliver FMS intervention.Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a motor skill program called SKIP (Successful Kinesthetic Instruction for Preschoolers) on student learning of object control skills (OC). A secondary purpose was to examine the extent to which early childhood teachers could implement the SKIP program with fidelity (while receiving on-going coaching and support) and the extent to which instructional fidelity influenced OC improvement in the SKIP condition.Participants and setting: There were two levels of participants in this study, early childhood teachers (N = 2, Women = 2) and their students (N = 57; Boys = 53%; Mage = 4.39, Range 3–6). All participants were from the same early childhood center located on the campus of a large Midwestern University located in the United States.Data Collection: This study featured a pretest–posttest control group quasi-experimental design. The director of the early childhood center selected the experimental SKIP teachers (N = 2). Experimental SKIP children (n = 26) were identified from the classrooms of the experimental SKIP teachers. Teachers implemented SKIP to their students for six weeks (360 minutes of instruction). SKIP teachers’ lesson plan fidelity was calculated using a predetermined checklist based upon the lesson plan via digital recordings. Control students (n = 31) were randomly selected from the remaining six classrooms at the center. Control students received the business as usual condition, which consisted of free play with the availability of the same equipment allocated to the SKIP condition. All students were pretested and posttested using the OC subscale of the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) [Ulrich, D. A. 2000. The Test of Gross Motor Development. 2nd ed. Austin: PRO-ED].Data Analysis: A two-level (students nested within teacher) Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) examined the extent to which the SKIP intervention improved the OC skills of the students compared to the control group. Lesson plan fidelity was calculated using descriptive statistics. An additional two-level HLM examined the extent to which fidelity of SKIP influenced the OC scores of students in the SKIP condition only.Results: SKIP students significantly improved their OC skills compared to the control students (p < .001, η2 = .61). SKIP teachers implemented SKIP with fidelity (M = 86.5%, SD = .18). Level of fidelity of SKIP significantly influenced students’ improvements in OC scores (p < .001).Conclusion: SKIP was highly effective in improving the OC skills of the students and SKIP teachers implemented SKIP with fidelity. Greater fidelity positively influenced OC outcomes for students. Further research is warranted to confirm that students’ FMS development can be enhanced through FMS intervention with high-quality teaching that is implemented by classroom teachers.

School-Based Fundamental-Motor-Skill Intervention for Children With Autism-Like Characteristics: An Exploratory Study.

The purpose of this pilot study was to demonstrate the impact of a fundamental-motor-skill (FMS) intervention on the motor skills of 3- to 7-year-old children with autism-like characteristics in an early intervention classroom. A secondary purpose was to qualitatively assess the impact of the program as described by the classroom's special education teacher. All children in the classroom (N = 5) took part in an FMS intervention for two 6-wk blocks (fall 2013 and winter 2014). Motor-skill proficiency and social skills were assessed at 3 times: baseline, after Block 1 of the intervention, and after Block 2 of the intervention. In addition, an interview was conducted with the classroom teacher after Assessment 3 to draw further insights into the relative success and impact of the program. Results were analyzed through a visual analysis and presented individually. They indicated improvements in the participants' individual FMS and social-skill scores, possible improvements in declarative knowledge, and an increase in the special education teacher's readiness to teach FMS; further research with larger, controlled samples is warranted.

Effectiveness of a fundamental motor skill intervention for 4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study

A wait-list control experimental design was employed to investigate the effectiveness of a fundamental motor skill intervention at improving the motor skills, adaptive behavior, and social skills of 4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder (experimental n = 5, control n = 4); the impact of intervention intensity was also explored. The experimental group significantly improved their object manipulation and overall motor scores from pre- to post-intervention. The wait-list control design revealed no group-by-time interactions; however, with the groups combined time was a significant factor for all motor variables. There were no significant changes in adaptive behavior and social skills. These preliminary findings suggest that a fundamental motor skill intervention may benefit young children with autism spectrum disorder. Future research with larger samples is warranted.

The effectiveness of “Multimove”: A fundamental motor skill intervention for typically developing young children

The decline in the quality of motor skills of young children has been observed in recent [1]. These findings underline the need for motor skill interventions in early childhood settings. This study examines the influence of “Multimove”, a motor skill programme that strongly appeals to variation rather than sport-specific content, in 5- to 6-year-old children. The intervention group (n = 321; 162 ♂ and 159 ♀; mean age = 5.93; SD = 0.58) received a weekly 45- to 75-min motor skill session over a period of 30 weeks, in addition to the regular physical education curriculum. The control group (n = 166; 83 ♂ and 83 ♀; mean age = 5.97; SD = 0.57) did not participate in the program. Measures of the locomotor and object control skill, were assessed in a pre-post design by means of the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd edition (TGMD-2). Likewise, measures of gross motor coordination were taken on both occasions using the Körperkoordinations Test für Kinder (KTK). Preliminary analysis yielded a significant Group × Time interaction for the locomotor (F = 19.987; P < 0.001) and object control (F = 13.958; P < 0.001) scales. The intervention group revealed significantly higher locomotor and object control scores at the post-test than at pre-test whereas the control group only improved in object control skill over time. However, no significant Group × Time interaction was found for gross motor coordination measured with the KTK (F = 2.318; P = 0.129). Further analysis (age-groups, standard scores and retention-test data) will be presented at the conference. Preliminary findings show that the Multimove program has a positive effect on the fundamental motor skills of typically developing children, but does not seem to improve the gross motor coordination measured with a general test instrument like the KTK in this age group.

The effectiveness of a fundamental motor skill intervention in pre-schoolers with motor problems depends on gender but not environmental context

This study evaluated the effect of a 10-week fundamental motor skill programme in pre-schoolers with motor problems. Alongside the general effect of the intervention, we also explored possible gender differences and the role of the environmental context (living community, socio-economic status, and recreational space inside/outside the house). The intervention group (n=47; 20 ♂ and 27 ♀) received twenty 60-min motor skill sessions (2 per week) in addition to the regular physical education curriculum for pre-schoolers; the control group (n=46; 21 ♂ and 25 ♀) did not receive additional practice. General motor competence, and locomotor and object control subscales, were assessed before and after the intervention using the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd edition (TGMD-2). Data regarding environmental factors were gathered through a questionnaire. A Group×Gender×Time ANOVA revealed that the intervention group benefited significantly from the intervention and scored better than the control group at the post-test for general motor competence and both sub-categories (locomotor and object control skill). Moreover, the intervention programme was found to be effective in helping 49% of the intervention group to achieve an average motor skill level, according to the TGMD-2 norms, while a further decline in motor competence was observed in the control group. Interestingly, the effect appeared to be gender-specific, since object control skill improved only in girls of the intervention group. Considering the environmental context, none of the above-mentioned factors was found to have an influence on the effectiveness of the intervention. The present study highlights the need for an early motor skill programme with a gender-specific approach in order to help low skilled boys and girls master a diverse set of motor skills.